Screw holding attachment for a screw driver



March 5, 1957 N. P. CHRISTENSEN SCREW HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR A SCREW DRIVER A ORNEY INVENTOR Filed Sept. 16, 1953 United States Patent SCREW HOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR A SCREW DRIVER Niels P. Christensen, San Francisco, Calif. Application September 16, 1953, Serial No. 380,439

3 Claims. (Cl. 145-52) This invention relates to a novel attachment for use with a screw driver to effectively hold the head of a screw immovable relatively to the bit end of the screw driver so that the screw driver bit will not slip out of the screw kerf, to thereby materially minimize the problem of driving a screw and to substantially eliminate damaging the screw kerf, which frequently occurs in driving a screw into a hard material.

Another object of the invention is to provide a screw driver attachment which may be readily applied to existing screw drivers to effectively function therewith and which may be made in various sizes to accommodate screw drivers of different sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a screw driver attachment which will eliminate the need for separately holding the screw for starting the screw and which will absolutely prevent buckling of the screw relatively to the screw driver, 'as frequently occurs in starting a screw into a hard material.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating presently preferred embodiments thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of the attachment shown applied to a screw driver and supporting a screw immovably relatively to the screw driver bit and with the bit in engagement with the screw kerf;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof, looking to bottom of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view, partly in side elevation, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view taken substantially from top along a plane as indicated by the line 7-7 of Figure 1,

and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of the attachment in it appears before being completely bent into its usable shape.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, and first with reference to Figures 1 to 6, a screw driver, designated generally 10 of conventional construction, is illustrated including an elongated shank 11 having a flattened end forming a conventional screw driver bit 12 and having a handle 13, fixed to the end of the shank 11, which is remote to the bit 12. In order to better mount the attachment, comprising the invention and hereinafter to be described, the shank 11 may be provided 2,783,800 Patented Mar. 5, 1957 ice with a roughened portion 14 extending throughout a substantial portion of its length and to adjacent the bit 12.

The screw supporting attachment, designated generally 15 and comprising the invention, includes a frame, designated generally 16 having a split sleeve portion 17, constituting one end thereof, and a crossbar or head 18, constituting the other end of the frame 16. The ends of the crossbar head 18 are connected to the end of the sleeve 17, located adjacent thereto, by a pair of legs 19, which are formed integral with the crosshead or bar 18 and with the sleeve 17 and which have inwardly offset ends 20 merging with said sleeve 17. The frame 16 also includes a pair of studs 21 which are formed integral with and project outwardly from portions of the sleeve 17 located on opposite sides of and adjacent the slot 22 thereof. The studs 21 at their outer ends and spaced from the sleeve 17 are provided with en largements or heads 23 which preferably extend longitudinal-ly of the sleeve 17. The crosshead or bar 18, intermediate of its ends, is provided with 'a laterally extending notch 24 which opens outwardly of one side edge thereof and which is beveled on the inner side of said crosshead 18, as seen at 25.

The screw driver attachment 15 also includes a locking lever 26 having an elongated head 27 and an elongated handle 28 forming an extension of one end of the head 27. As best seen in Figure 5, the head 27 has an elongated oval shaped opening 29 which extends longitudinally thereof and which is provided with transversely aligned inwardly opening notches 30 intermediate of the ends of the opening 29. The opening 29 engages the outwardly projected studs 21 and the head 27 is disposed between the sleeve 17 and the heads 23 of said studs 21, so that said heads 23 retain the locking lever head 27 in engagement with the studs 21.

The sleeve 17 is relatively resilient so that by swinging the locking lever 26 in either direction from its position of Figure 2 through an arc of the studs 21 can engage in the end portions of the opening 29 which are spaced a substantially greater distance apart than the notches 30 to allow the sleeve 17 to spread or open for loosely engaging the screw driver shank 11. The attachment 15 is then moved slightly from right to left of its position of Figures 1 to 3 so that the shank portion of a conventional screw 31 can be inserted into the notch 24 with the head 32 of the screw disposed on the inner side of the bar 18 and partially in engagement with the bevel 25. The attachment 15 is then moved from left to right and turned until the screw driver bit 12 is received in the kerf 33 of the screw head. The locking lever 26 is then swung back to a position longitudinally of the screw driver to cause the studs 21 to be drawn together for contracting and clamping the sleeve 17 around the screw driver shank. The locking lever 26 is releasably latched in its locking position as illustrated by engagement of the studs 21 in the notches 30, so that the locking lever 26 must be forcibly swung to a released position in the initial movement of which the studs 21 are cammed out of said notches 30. The roughened shank portion 14 provides additional means to prevent slippage of the sleeve 17 relatively to the screw driver shank while in a clamped position; however, the attachment 15 may obviously be used with a screw driver shank which is smooth as it will be clamped sufliciently tight by the locking lever 26 to prevent slippage.

It will be readily apparent that with the attachment 15 in a clamped position and supporting a screw 31 with the kerf 33 thereof engaging the screw driver bit 12, that the screw 31 can be readily driven Without risk of the screw driver bit slipping out of the kerf and without the necessity of holding the screw 31 while the driv ing thereof is commenced. Likewise, if desired, the

handle end of the screw driver may be tapped to assist in starting the screw into hard material. The screw 31 may be driven until the crossbar 18 substantially abuts the surface, not shown into which the screw is being driven. The screw supporting attachment is then released, as previously described, and disengaged from the screw 31 so that the driving of the screw can be completed, either by removing the attachment 15 from the screw driver or slipping the bit end 12 through the notch 24, while the attachment 15 is in a released position. Similarly, in removing the screw 31, initial removal thereof can be accomplished with the attachment 15 removed from the screw driver or with the bit 12 extending through the notch 24, after which the screw is engaged by the attachment as previously described to retain the bit 12 in engagement with the kerf 33 for completing the removal of the screw.

It will thus be seen that risk of the screw driver slipping relatively to the screw and damaging the kerf 33 is eliminated while the attachment 15 is employed for holding the screw immovably with respect to the bit 12.

As illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 7, the handle 13 may be provided with a restricted distal end portion 34 through which a pin 35 extends diametrically. The

outwardly extending ends of the pin 35 provide journals for engagement with eyes 36 forming lateral extensions of the side edges of one end of a lever 37 which is of substantially semicircular cross section, as seen in Figure 7, to engage around approximately one longitudinal half of the handle 13 and to form a part thereof, when the lever 37 is disposed longitudinally of the handle. The lever 37 may be swung outwardly to its dotted line position of Figure 2 at a right angle to the axis of the screw driver to provide additional leverage means for turning the screw driver for driving the screw 31 into a hard surface.

Figure 8 illustrates a slightly modified form of the attachment frame, designated 16a, and which differs from the frame 16 only in that one of the legs 19 is omitted. The retained leg 19a has a right angular extension 18a at the end thereof located remote to the sleeve 17a and which performs the same function as the bar 18 and which is provided with a notch 24a, corresponding to the notch 24, except that the inner end 38 thereof may be enlarged and made circular to receive a greater portion of the screw head 32 and so that the screw will have to be displaced inwardly of the frame 16:: to disengage it from the notch portion 38, before said screw can be disengaged from the notch. As the frame 16a is otherwise identicalwith the frame 16, a further description thereof is considered unnecessary.

While the attachment 15 has been illustrated in com junction with a conventional wood screw 31, it will be understood that it is equally well adapted for use in holding other types of screws immovably in engagement with a screw driver bit while the screw is held or turned, the term screw being used herein to include all elements similar to screws capable of being engaged and held or turned by a screw driver or its equivalent. The attachment may be made in various sizes to fit screw drivers of difierent sizes. The attachment may also be used with Phillips type screw drivers.

Various other modifications and changes are contemplated and may obviously be resorted to, without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A screw holding attachment for a screw driver comprising an elongated frame of one piece construction, a split sleeve constituting one end of said frame and adapted to engage loosely around a screw driver shank, a crosshead constituting the opposite end of said frame and adapted to be disposed beyond the screw driver bit, means forming a part of said frame and connecting said crosshead and sleeve for supporting the crosshead immovably relative to the sleeve, and means for contracting said sleeve for clamping the sleeve to the screw driver shank, said crosshead having an outwardly opening notch adapted to detachably receive a screw shank for retaining the head of the screw on the inner side of said crosshead and positioned with the kerf of the screw head in engagement with the screw driver bit for supporting the screw immovably relative to the frame and screw driver bit, said sleeve contracting means including a pair of studs projecting radially from the sleeve on opposite sides of the sleeve gap, an elongated locking lever having a head at one end thereof provided with an elongated opening engaging over said studs, said studs being drawn together by swinging movement of the locking lever to position the longitudinal axis of said opening crosswise to the studs for clamping the sleeve to the screw driver shank, and said sleeve being released from clamping engagement with the screw driver shank by swinging movement of the locking lever to position the longitudinal axis of the opening thereof in substantial alignment with said studs.

2. A screw holding attachment as in claim 1, said studs having heads at their outer ends overlying the head of said locking lever for retaining said locking lever head in engagement with the studs.

3. A screw holding attachment as in claim 2, said opening having its longitudinal axis disposed longitudinally of the locking lever, and said head having transversely aligned notches opening into the opening thereof for partially receiving the studs when the sleeve is held.

in clamped engagement around the screw driver shank.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D. 142,982 Bloomfield Nov. 27, 1945 193,811 Eckermann Aug. 7, 1877 420,431 Bartlett Feb. 4, 1890 491,687 Quinby Feb. 14, 1893 617,945 Atwood Ian. 17, 1899 694,848 Farrell Mar. 4, 1902 896,107 Harrison Aug. 18, 1908 989,758 Bowers Apr. 18, 1911 1,403,680 Fox Ian. 17, 1922 1,939,268 Krull Dec. 12, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 404,437 Great Britain Jan. 18, 1934 

